Thursday, November 6, 2014

November

Can
you believe that it's November already!? What the heck! This is crazy.
And I'll tell you, it's starting to get pretty cold here... Uh oh I
might be in trouble. The actual temperature isn't too cold but the winds
are what are killer.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It's so weird to have
holidays on the mission. Seriously. But it was a good Halloween, how was
your guys? Although I had no scones I did get fed pozole, so you know I
was the happiest girl ever. We went to the wad party and it was fun.
They had a chili cook off and a trunk or treat! One of our less actives
came with their families and some investigators too :) our Ward is nice
but no parkview Ward.

Haha okay so this week was crazy and went by so
fast. But that's good. It was really warm the first couple of days of
the week and we rode our bikes... Joy. Haha it's getting better. We had a
crazy experience with Irene and her oldest daughter Betsy on Tuesday.
We went into going to teach about the plan of salvation and all of a
sudden Irene says she really wants Betsy to get baptized and how she
wants to too. WHAT??? Hahaha crazy. So I mostly talked to Betsy in
English and Hermana Torres was talking to Irene in Spanish. Betsy is so
confused and has so many questions. She said she really loved how we
teach and that it all just makes sense! It's crazy. Hoping to set s
baptismal date next week with her :) and on Wednesday we had our English
classes! We had 5 people come. It was great but English is actually
really hard! I had a hard time teaching it. But everyone said they liked
it so that is good! And we hope next week we will have more people come
too! We also had interviews with president and that was really good. He
made me feel a lot better about how I am feeling as a newbie
missionary. He is such an amazing president and I am so glad to have him
as my mission president. He truly has the strongest testimony and cares
about all the missionaries. Also we have been visiting a less active
family a ton, well the parents are members (less actives) and none of
their kids have been baptized though. Their oldest daughter invited us
to her band concert on Thursday night and we went. I love this family so
much. The mom is margarita, the dad I actually don't know his name, but
he is never home when we go over cause he works a lot... But he is
kinda interesting... Then their oldest daughter Ariel is 11, Robert is
9, Erik is 8, Ilene is 6, and Gordo is 2! They are so dang cute. I will
send a picture.

FELIPE
SET A BAPTISM DATE FOR NOV 15!!!! Yayayayayayayaya! The happiest girl
in the world. We challenged him on Wednesday and he accepted but it was
kinda like a soft acceptance. Then on Saturday we had a lesson with him
and before we even started he said, remember the 15th. And we finally
got him to pray with us too. It was a great lesson and really overall
great week! It's been hard with him because he doesn't really express
his feelings all that well so sometimes we don't really know what he is
thinking. But we have been starting to ask him more questions so that
he can teach us.

ALSO!
I was sooooo surprised what I found on our door step on Thursday night.
How nice of the rasbands and Marcie!! I felt bad because we never got
in contact with her but she left another note on the door Saturday night
too. She is so cute. Tell her I say thank you and I'm sorry I missed
her, it was a crazy week and weekend. It was so nice to get that and
just feel all that love and support.

Like
i said, the weather has gotten pretty chilly but it's also been so dang
pretty too. I will send you pictures of all the fall weather we have
been having!! I love it. Since there are tress everywhere, that means,
leaves everywhere!!

The
Spanish have their own sacrament meeting on fast and testimony meeting,
so I bore my testimony! In Spanish of course. I think it went pretty
well. It wasn't totally awful I don't think
but man our Spanish members need some help. About 2/3 is made up the
Abac family, and they are great and usually come every week, man they
are different. Haha one of the little girls was walking around drinking a
coke and eating chips.... It was hard because 1 I can't drink coke on
the mission and 2 it was fast Sunday haha temptation at its finest. We
are hoping to work with them so that they can feel the spirit more while
at church.

We
also had a kind of interesting experience last night. We were knocking
doors and this lady answered and at first she seemed really nice but
something was off. She invited us in and Hermana torres and I both just
kind of had a weird feeling about her but not s bad get out feeling. We
kinda might think she is a witch. She really liked our message and the
restoration of the gospel, but then she would go on tangents and just
quote random bible scriptures and told us how she is a seer? And has
like a crazy mind and stuff... It was interesting. We probably won't go
see her again... Just refer her to the English sister.

This
week I have really been focusing on the atonement and how I can better
understand the atonement and apply it to my life so I can help those I
teach to better understand it. I have been finding some really good
talks to help me better understand it. Elder Nelson gave a really good
talk about the Atonement and why it's so important. He talks about how
the creation, the fall, and the atonement all loop together. My favorite
part of his talk was this part "The
Creation required the Fall. The Fall required the Atonement. The
Atonement enabled the purpose of the Creation to be accomplished.
Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of
the Creation. To phrase that statement in its negative form, if families
were not sealed in holy temples, the whole earth would be utterly
wasted. The purposes of the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement all
converge on the sacred work done in temples of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. The earth was created and the Church was
restored to make possible the sealing of wife to husband, children to
parents, families to progenitors, worlds without end." I just love that.
I love the temple and I am so grateful I am able to be sealed to my
family forever! And wow I just love it.

Last
week was a really good week! I am excited about this next week. We have
a pretty full week ahead of us so that's good! And we have the car.
Even better :) thats crazy there weren't too many kids at grandmas
Halloween party! But it's good cause we are doing what's right, right!?
Sounds like Jake and Hayden are doing well too :) I'm sad that Halloween
was so lonely :( but those scones just looked so good and so did the
sugar cookies! Haha I saw them in a corner of the picture. I'm so sad
the Utes lost :( but it sounds like you have had a good little trip and
get away to Arizona! I swear now that my parents are empty nesters all
they want to do is go on trips.... Haha I'm glad you guys are having
fun!

I love you so so so much! I hope you guys have a great, fun, safe week! I love you :)